Operation Kitten
by Tripleguess
Summary: Haru's world, like the Cat Kingdom, is a dangerous place. Rating just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Operation Kitten**_  
a Cat Returns fanfiction by Tripleguess  
Possible **mild spoilers** for The Cat Returns  
Genre: Humor/Drama  
Rated PG  
June 30, 2007 _

_"They love you more than other men do, but they need you less." -C.S. Lewis, **Mere Christianity**_

**Chapter One**

Hiromi slipped the dress over her head and twirled before the mirror, eyes wide at her own radiance.

"Wow, Haru," she breathed. "It really is gorgeous. Where'd you get the design?"

"Oh -- you could say it was royally inspired." Haru smiled and pulled one sleeve free of the waistband. "You'll turn every head at the school."

"I still can't believe you're not coming!" Hiromi scrutinized her, searching her face for the disappointment she was certain Haru's cheeriness concealed. But her schoolmate's smile never wavered.

"I told you, I'm going to a tea party with some old friends." Haru ran the zipper up, being careful not to pinch any skin, and tied the laces in a neat bow. "And I do mean old."

"How old?"

Haru did some quick mental guesstimating. "At least thirty, I think."

"Ugh." Hiromi's interest evaporated. In her world, people older than twenty-five simply ceased to exist. "Couldn't you just explain that you'd rather go to the dance?"

"No, I _want_ to go to the party." Haru warmed to her subject as she unwound Hiromi's hair from the curlers and fluffed them deftly, wielding the comb with an airy lightness acquired over the past two years. "The old cat tells the silliest stories, and the _tea--_"

"Oh, for goodness' sake, that's enough." Hiromi shuddered. "There's no way I'd skip a dance to listen to a bunch of old biddies swig tea and gab about the good old days. You're even stranger than you used to be."

Gracious as always. Haru shrugged to herself and played her last card. She sighed dramatically. "I... don't really want to see Machida."

"Aha!" Hiromi pounced on that. "I _knew_ it had something to do with him! 'Want to go,' my eye. You just don't want to see him with his new girlfriend."

Haru suppressed a smile and nudged Hiromi around so she could work on the back of her head. Haru's apparent immunity to Machida and every other boy in existence had been a source of endless vexation to Hiromi. "Something like that."

"I understand," Hiromi commiserated. "I knew you couldn't be totally indifferent, no matter how you were acting."

"Hold your breath." Haru shook an aerosol can vigorously. Hiromi obediently filled her lungs and squeezed her eyes shut while Haru dusted her hair with glitter and hairspray.

Good, she decided, stepping back to admire her handiwork. Not too plain, but not too much either. She fanned at the hairspray fumes with the end of her shirt. "Okay. You can look now."

Hiromi gazed at herself wide-eyed, then twirled before the mirror. Her hair lay in soft curls that sparkled subtly in the light. A double strand of seed pearls glowed against her skin, matching her pearl earrings. Her long sleeves trailed almost to the floor and fluttered enchantingly when she moved.

_Hm. So that's what I looked like._

Hiromi blinked, pinched herself, and looked again. "I can't believe that's _me_. You're getting really good at this wardrobe consultation stuff, Haru."

Haru spread a color fan and peered at Hiromi over it, comparing hues and tints with a look of intense concentration on her face, then nodded in satisfaction. "I _knew_ you were a summer. Tsuge'll love it."

"You think so?" Hiromi flushed with pleasure and indulged in another twirl at the mirror. "It does look nice, doesn't it? Oh -- the time!" She snatched up her cloak, jammed her feet in her shoes, and flew out the door. "I don't want to be late! Bye Haru and thank you so much and I'll tell you all about it and --"

The door banged shut on her words, leaving Haru in silence. She contemplated herself in the mirror; everyday skirt, a slightly nicer top than usual, ponytailed hair. It'd been two years, but she still looked seventeen.

"It's nice to look nice," she observed to no one in particular.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It was bitterly cold outside. Haru wrapped her muffler more snugly against the biting wind and switched hands on the hamper, thrusting the colder hand under her coat arm. Still, the foul weather wasn't enough to make her turn back. Her ever-present desire to revisit the Cat Bureau had been sharpened to urgency these past few days by a strong desire to avoid the school dance.

It had nothing to do with Machida or his new girlfriend. True, she didn't especially want to see him; any more than she wanted to see any other schoolboy or the rest of her classmates for that matter. Though her peers treated her with more respect these days, she'd never really fit in. And now she had no desire to. They all seemed so... _dull_.

The hamper was to back up her excuse for a visit. They'd never properly finished their tea, after all.

The weather did worry her, though. What if Muta had sense enough not to be at the Crossroads in such a wind?

He wasn't. And neither was anyone else. Look and call as she might, all she saw were empty chairs and tables. She even checked under the bushes. No Muta. He, like _almost_ everyone else, had had the sense to stay inside where it was warm.

She'd taken a few reluctant steps towards home when it struck her that Muta _had_ shown her the way once. Mightn't she be able to find it again?

Even a small chance of success made it seem worth a try. Besides, if she remembered correctly, the Bureau was now closer than home anyways.

She picked her way carefully, stopping often to study landmarks and alleyways. Everything looked different under an overcast sky. The sound of a tin overhang under her shoes was right, but the farther she went and the more turns she took, the less likely it seemed that she was on the right track.

Forty minutes and several alleys later, she was lost.

X X X

She might have gone home, but she wasn't sure where it was anymore. So she stumbled on, guided only by a memory that had already failed her.

It was nearly full dark by the time she stumbled out of the last alley into a narrow cul-de-sac. The wind had picked up and was moaning over the rooftops, though the buildings on either side provided some shelter. Still, she was shivering.

A flicker of light from the end of the cul-de-sac caught her attention. That, and the sound of breaking glass. She crept closer, wary, but drawn by the promise of warmth.

A fire of scrap lumber danced against the end wall. Half a dozen street boys were gathered round it, sprawled on old mattresses and discarded futons.

Haru stopped well short of the circle of light, keeping her eyes off the fire. The brick wall reflected some of the heat as far back as where she stood, and she felt her shivers easing.

Just a few minutes, she decided. A few minutes to warm up, and then she'd back out quietly and be on her way before anyone noticed her.

Something shattered, making her start. But now she could see what was going on. The boys had a box of shabby breakables near the fire -- chipped piggy banks, ceramic angels with broken wings, coffee cups sans handles, and cracked glass bowls of the sort that richer people liked to fill with iridescent pebbles and put on their coffee tables. One by one, they were putting the breakables on a cardboard box and shying rocks at them.

It was a little disturbing to see the angels shatter into bits, but from the looks of it the stuff had been headed for the dump anyways. Probably salvaged from dumpsters and roadside trash cans.

"Hey, look at this one!" One of the boys crowed as he drew his next target out of the box. "Bet it'll make a nice smash, hey?"

"It's too pretty to break," another boy objected. "Let me have it if you're just going to smash it, Ned."

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with it," a third boy chimed, leaning forward for a better look. "Why'd it end up in the trash?"

"Because it's too old-fashioned to sell, that's why," Ned retorted. "Anyways, it's finders keepers. Back off."

Haru froze, clutching the hamper so tightly that the handle pressed a groove in her hands as she stared at the object in Ned's rough hands.

It was Baron.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Ned set Baron on the box and reached for a stone.

Haru was faster. Screaming at Ned to stop, she leaped into the firelight and swung the hamper into his face, then snatched Baron up and ran.

There was a confusion of shouts and movement behind her, including a delighted exclamation of "Hey, this basket's full of goodies!" from the boy who'd thought Baron too pretty to break. Soon enough, though, she heard the sound of pursuing feet.

She clutched Baron more tightly. The glass figurine was cool and lifeless against her skin. How had he come to be in a box of trash? Why was he glass? It distressed her.

They were gaining on her. She changed alleys twice, trying to shake them, but they knew the area better than she did. Her lungs burned. She had to act _now,_ before she was too exhausted to fight.

She wouldn't let them have Baron.

_There._ She slid to a stop beside a scraggly bush. It wasn't much, but in the dark its cover was adequate. She hoped.

"Stay here, Baron," she gasped, placing him gently under the bush. His green eyes looked through her, unblinking. He looked cold, so she yanked off her muffler and draped it over him. "I'll come back for you. If I can."

And she was off again, doubling back to run down a different alley. Anywhere, so long as it led them away from Baron. She wanted desperately to burst out onto a street, away from the narrow walls, somewhere there might be shops to take refuge in.

She paced herself now, conserving what was left of her energy. The pounding feet gained faster. She forced herself to weight her options.

The problem was, she didn't really have any.

Another opening yawned ahead. She ducked in and held herself to a trot, catching her breath as she looked for the deepest shadows.

An angry voice. "Where'd she get to?"

"Calm down, Ned -- it was just a knick-knack."

"Shut up! Nobody takes nothing from me."

A thick drainpipe snaked down the wall from the gutters three stories above. Haru flattened herself beside it, trying to lose herself in its shadow. She gulped frigid air as sweat trickled down her front. Quite likely she'd catch a whopper cold tomorrow, if she lived that long.

The footsteps drew closer, finally rounding the last corner.

"C'mon, Ned -- forget it." The boy who'd wanted to keep Baron was tugging at Ned's elbow, slowing him considerably. "It was just a schoolgirl. Let her keep it, if she wants it so bad."

Three more boys trailed behind him, apparently just along for the show.

"Shut up, Manjiro," Ned repeated, trying to shake the other boy off as he looked about. "Where _is_ she? She can't have gone far."

Haru's heart sank to her toes as one of the others pointed straight at her. "There she is," he said, grinning at the prospect of a scene. "Face as pale as that -- she fair glows like the moon."

At this moment, Haru missed being a cat desperately. She could have darted between their ankles, slipped through a fence, or disappeared into some space far too small for them to follow.

But she hadn't exactly wasted the past two years. As Ned came at her, obviously more concerned with hurting her than reclaiming stolen property, she stepped clear of the drainpipe and blocked his grab with a swift upward movement, reversing to drop a blow on his collarbone.

Ned faltered, surprised, and Haru pressed her advantage with a kick to his shin. Then a stone rolled under her shoe and she sat down hard on the pavement.

Wiry arms pinned her elbows, and two of the erstwhile onlookers hauled her to her feet to face a now limping, angry Ned. Some feral instinct woke; Haru kicked and screamed and bit, throwing off one captor. "Let me go, you --!"

To her surprise, Manjiro ran interference for her, blocking Ned with his arms spread wide. "That's enough, Ned! Leave her be now!"

"A wise suggestion."

The new voice cut through the confusion like a scythe, cold and authoritative. The boys froze. "Who's there?" Ned demanded.

A figure materialized from the gloom, as though the shadows had taken human form. Green eyes swept across the surprised group. He tilted his cane at Ned in a gesture Haru recognized as no idle threat. "Let her go. Now."

Her remaining captor let go so suddenly that she fell on her backside again. Ned lunged, but a single rap of the cane and he was moaning on the pavement.

"Bad idea," Haru muttered, rubbing her skinned hands.

"I-I'm sorry -- I'm sorry couldn't stop them, sir," Manjiro stammered.

The green eyes softened. "You did well, son."

Manjiro looked embarrassed, helped Ned up, and disappeared with the others. Haru could only stare wide-eyed as her rescuer offered both gloved hands and helped her up. From his tasteful attire to his understated courtesy, there was no mistaking him.

Even if he was human.

"Baron?"

"Hello, Haru." Baron smiled and doffed his hat. "It's good to see you again."

"Oh, Baron!" She couldn't help it. She threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

X X X

"How did you -- why are -- when did --"

"First things first." Baron produced her muffler and wrapped it around her exposed neck. "Let's get you inside before you freeze."

Haru realized that she was trembling with cold and reaction. She nodded and fell in step beside Baron.

"I was actually on my way to see you," Baron commented as he led the way out of the maze of alleys with unerring precision. Haru, cold and worn out, kept tripping over her own feet; after two or three stumbles, Baron commandeered her arm. She leaned on him gratefully, one hand nestled in the crook of his elbow.

"Oh?"

"Mm-hmm. I had a visit from Yuki yesterday. It seems one of her kittens has gone missing, and she believes it's now in the human world."

"Why's that?"

"She and Lune have told their offspring so many tales about their common rescuer that the kitten wanted to see you for himself." Baron winked.

Haru blushed. "But how did those boys get hold of you?"

"Ah, that. Well, I was searching the back alleys, where I thought it most likely a lost cat would be, when I saw that group coming towards me. I hid in a box beside the nearest dumpster and hoped they wouldn't notice." He brushed at his jacket, as though to rid himself of an unwelcome smell. "Unfortunately, they grabbed the whole box, ceramic angels, Baron, and all."

He shook his head. "Those poor angels. I'd be in the same shape if you hadn't happened along."

Happened? She wondered about that. Muta had taken her to meet Baron once. Perhaps she'd remembered the way after all.

She just wished she could have made a better second impression. She'd set out from home clean, dry and presentable; now she was bedraggled. She sighed. It would have been nice to look nice.

Baron's hearing had lost none of its sharpness; or maybe he caught her brushing at the smudges on her skirt. He smiled. "Believe me, Haru -- when you came between me and that rock, you were the most beautiful sight in the world."

She ducked her head, feeling her cheeks heat. "B-but Baron, how is that you're human now?"

He shot her a meaningful look and was a long time replying. "Like the Cat Kingdom, your world is dangerous place."

Haru felt like she had missed something. Baron usually answered her questions more directly. She cocked her head at him. "But _you_ have self-confidence. Don't you, Baron?"

He looked at her thoughtfully. "You've gotten stronger, Haru."

She blushed again.

X X X

Her mother still wasn't home. Baron went straight to the kitchen and heated soup while Haru curled up on the couch with a fleece throw. She tried to tell him not to trouble himself, but he waved that off, saying he made soup for his sister Louise all the time. He made sure she could get the food down and made her promise to call the doctor if she started running a temperature, then left, explaining that Yuki was anxiously waiting for an update on her kitten's whereabouts.

Haru suspected that his sense of propriety had something to do with the short stay, too. Most of the guys at school didn't care what happened to a girl's reputation, back seat of the car and all. Baron wasn't most guys.

The soup was good. At first she thought Baron had just opened a can, but the flavor was nothing she recognized. She finished the bowl and cuddled deeper under the fleece, intending to rest just a bit and then have a good hot bath, but warmth was already spreading from her tummy to her extremities. She dozed off.

An impatient rapping yanked her back to consciousness. She staggered to the door with the fleece clutched around her shoulders and fumbled with the lock, her fingers clumsy from sleep. She didn't remember locking the door. Baron must have.

Hiromi was on the porch, a shoebox in her hands. She blinked at Haru's disheveled appearance. "Must have been some party."

"No, I took a wrong turn and got lost," Haru summarized through a yawn. She could see Tsuge's car on the street, still running.

"Bummer. The dance was a blast! Remind me to tell you _everything_. Tsuge was my partner for almost _every_ dance, and --"

A brusque honk interrupted her. "Oh! Right, he's waiting to drop me off at home. Here, take this." She thrust the box into Haru's arms. "We almost ran over it at school."

Hiromi waved and ran to the car. Haru shifted the box to one hip and waved back, then watched them drive off until a faint scratching brought her attention back to the shoebox. She cracked the lid cautiously.

Two clear eyes twinkled back at her, one blue, one green.

It was a kitten.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

A whisper tickled at the edge of her dreams. "Haru? Haru, are you awake?"

Haru cracked a sleepy eye at the window. She could see a distinctly avian shadow on her curtains.

"Just a minute," she whispered back, not wanting to disturb the fuzzball nestled in the crook of her neck. She propped herself up on one elbow and untangled herself from the covers with exquisite care, then slid out of bed without waking the kitten and opened the window.

"Morning!" Toto fluttered onto her dresser. "Baron sent me to check up on you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine!" Haru smiled. A bath and a good night's sleep had put her back into good health and spirits. "I was sure I'd catch a cold after last night, but I didn't. Baron's soup is really good."

"He'll be glad to hear that."

"Actually, I'd like to tell him myself. I have something to show him." Haru pointed.

Toto cocked his head at her pillow. "Is that --?"

The kitten was regarding him with interest. "Yes," he said calmly. "I am Hiro, son of King Lune and Queen Yuki." He stretched and yawned. "And now that I have seen Haru-sama with my own eyes, you may take me home."

X X X

Yuki was at the door of the Bureau, talking to Muta and Baron, who was his usual felinoid self again. Yuki looked worried, but she brightened a little at the sight of the visitors and ran to meet them.

"Haru-chan! It's good to see you again. I wish it had been under better circumstances..."

Haru put her new hamper down and knelt to smile at Yuki. Toto, perched on her shoulder, flapped to maintain his balance. "Actually, I don't think they could be better."

Baron looked at her questioningly; Haru winked at him, feeling very bold. Yuki looked baffled until the lid of the hamper popped open and Hiro peered out.

"Hello, Mother," he said gravely. "I'm sorry I worried you."

It was the best tea party ever. Everyone exclaimed over the tiny snacks Haru had packed -- except for Muta, who grumbled that she was being stingy until she shut him up with a normal sized tuna sandwich. Hiro commandeered Haru's lap and watched all the proceedings unblinkingly, accepting kitten-sized tidbits from her hand.

Yuki eventually went home, but only after promising that Hiro would be allowed to visit Haru-sama again. Haru helped tidy up before she started home as well.

Baron saw her off to the archway. "I can't thank you enough for finding Hiro. Cars, dogs, rat poison -- everyone was so worried."

"Like I said, he practically fell in my lap." Haru chuckled. "I hadn't even _looked_ for him yet." With a cheerful wave back at him, she stepped through the archway and started home.

"Haru."

She paused. Turned. Looked up into green eyes. _Human_ eyes.

Baron doffed his hat. "Considering your most recent escapade... I think I'd better walk you home."

She smiled, warm all through, and took his arm. "I'd like that."

X X X

"No way!" His sister sniffed enviously from her cushion bed. "The great Haru-sama actually let you sleep on her pillow?"

"Shh." Hiro glanced at the door. They were supposed to be asleep, but their nurse didn't seem to have noticed anything. "It's true. She knew _exactly_ how one ought to treat royalty. And she's so kind. It's no wonder Father and Mother love her."

"That does it!" Haru-kitten quivered with determination. "Next time, _I'm_ going to visit Haru-sama!"

**-The End**

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_Author's Note: I always appreciate hearing reader reactions. I can write it, but it's readers that give a story meaning. (Well, __I_ like it, but you know what I mean.) Favorite lines, random thoughts, whatever -- it means a lot to me if someone enjoyed my work. Thanks for reading!

_**Disclaimer:** This story not created, acknowledged or endorsed by Studio Ghibli, to whom **The Cat Returns** and all relevant characters and trademarks belong. No infringement is intended. **Operation Kitten** itself is fan domain and may be freely recopied and archived._


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